BIANKA PLÜSCHKE-ALTOF DISSERTATIONES RERUM OECONOMICARUM UNIVERSITATIS TARTUENSIS 58 Images of the of Images Periphery Impeding Discursive RuralPeripheralization Rural Development? of Areas BIANKA PLÜSCHKE-ALTOF Images of the Periphery Impeding Rural Development? Discursive Peripheralization of Rural Areas in Post-Socialist Estonia Tartu 2017 1 ISSN 1406-1309 ISBN 978-9949-77-637-5 DISSERTATIONES RERUM OECONOMICARUM UNIVERSITATIS TARTUENSIS 58 DISSERTATIONES RERUM OECONOMICARUM UNIVERSITATIS TARTUENSIS 58 BIANKA PLÜSCHKE-ALTOF Images of the Periphery Impeding Rural Development? Discursive Peripheralization of Rural Areas in Post-Socialist Estonia Faculty of Social Sciences, School of Economics and Business Administration, University of Tartu, Estonia. The dissertation is accepted for the defense of the degree of Doctor Philosophiae (in Economics) on 24th of November 2017 by the Council of the School of Economics and Business Administration, University of Tartu. Supervisors: Dr. Andres Kuusik, Faculty of Social Sciences, School of Economics and Business Administration, University of Tartu, Estonia Dr. Aet Annist, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Institute of Cultural Research and Arts, Estonia Opponents: Dr. Judit Timár, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies Békéscsaba, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary Dr. Helen Sooväli-Sepping, School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, Estonia The public defense of the dissertation is on 28th of December 2017 at 13:15 in room 214, J. Liivi 4, University of Tartu. The publication of this dissertation is granted by the Doctoral School of Economics and Business Administration (Faculty of Social Sciences) at the University of Tartu created under the auspices of the European Social Fund. The preparation of this dissertation was conducted within the framework of the project “Socio-economic and Political Responses to Regional Polarization in Central and Eastern Europe” (RegPol²), coordinated by the Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography in Leipzig, Germany. The project received funding from the People Program (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program FP7/2007-2013/ under REA grant agreement n° 607022. European Union Investing European Social Fund in your future ISSN 1406-1309 ISBN 978-9949-77-637-5 (print) ISBN 978-9949-77-638-2 (pdf) Copyright Bianka Plüschke-Altof, 2017 Layout Marika Piip, 2017 Tartu University Press www.tyk.ee Contents CONTENTS .....................................................................................................................5 List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................. 7 List of Figures ............................................................................................................7 List of Tables ............................................................................................................. 8 List of Annexes ..........................................................................................................8 List of Author’s Publications and Conference Presentations .................................. 11 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 13 1.1. List of Papers ................................................................................................... 13 1.2. Why Images Matter: Research Aims and Relevance ...................................... 13 1.3. Research Methodology and Structure .............................................................. 17 1.4. Research Novelty and Practical Implications .................................................. 20 1.5. Acknowledgements .......................................................................................... 22 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK .................................................................................. 24 2.1. (Re-)Production of Space: Processes of Spatialization and Peripheralization .... 24 2.2. (Re-)Production of Knowledge in Space: Discursive Peripheralization ............. 29 2.2.1. The Question of Eff ect: Discursive Performativity ................................30 2.2.2. How and by Whom? Discursive Formation and Discursive Field......... 33 2.2.3. With what Consequences? Discursive Room for Maneuver .................. 35 RESEARCH DESIGN ................................................................................................... 38 3.1. A Twofold Discourse Analysis .........................................................................38 3.2. Knowledge Production .....................................................................................40 3.2.1. Discursive Formation ............................................................................. 40 3.2.2. Discursive Field ..................................................................................... 43 3.3. Subject Formation ............................................................................................ 45 3.3.1. Discursive Formation ............................................................................. 45 3.3.2. Discursive Field ..................................................................................... 50 RESEARCH CONTEXT ...............................................................................................53 4.1. Post-Socialist Neoliberalization: Discursive Field .......................................... 53 4.2. Rural and Responsible? Discursive Formation ................................................ 61 4.3. Case Study Introductions ................................................................................. 66 4.3.1. Setomaa ................................................................................................. 67 4.3.2. Northern Valgamaa ................................................................................ 70 EMPIRICAL STUDIES .................................................................................................73 5.1. Rural as Periphery Per Se? .............................................................................. 74 5.2. The Question of Responsibility ...................................................................... 96 5.3. Case Study Setomaa ....................................................................................... 114 5.4. Case Study Valgamaa .................................................................................. 143 DISCUSSION OF RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS ............................................... 144 6.1. How? The Discursive Formation ................................................................... 144 6.2. By whom? The Discursive Field .................................................................... 146 6.3. With what Consequences? The Discursive Room for Maneuver .................. 148 6.4. Implications and Limitations: Author’s Note................................................. 149 6.4.1. Conceptual Implications ...................................................................... 149 6.4.2. Practical Implications ........................................................................... 150 5 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................ 152 SUMMARY IN ESTONIAN (KOKKUVÕTE) .......................................................... 161 7.1. Artiklite nimekiri ............................................................................................ 161 7.2. Uuringu eesmärk ja ülesanded ........................................................................ 161 7.3. Uuringu metodoloogia ja ülesehitus ............................................................... 164 7.4. Uuringu aktuaalsus ja olulisus ........................................................................ 167 7.5. Peamised tulemused ja järeldused ................................................................. 169 CURRICULUM VITAE .............................................................................................. 176 ANNEX ........................................................................................................................ 179 6 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CEE Central and Eastern Europe CS Comparative County Statistics EALL Estonian Newspaper Union EPL Daily Newpaper Eesti Päevaleht ERR Estonian Public Broadcasting GDP Gross Domestic Product HDR Human Development Report IFM Institut für Medien- und Kommunikationspolitik IMF International Monetary Fund NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization ML Weekly Newspaper Maaleht MS Comparative Municipality Statistics NRP National Reform Program 2020 NSP National Spatial Plan 2030+ EU European Union PM Daily Newspaper Postimees RDP Rural Development Plan SE Statistics Estonia SVL Seto Union of Rural Municipalities SYB Statistical Yearbook UNESCO United Nation Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural Organization LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Conceptualization of Peripheralization Processs ......................................... 16 Figure 2. Overview: Structure of the Dissertation ....................................................... 20 Figure 3. Tripartite Spatial Framework ....................................................................... 25 Figure 4. Performativity of Discourses. The Question of Eff ect ................................. 30 Figure 5. Discursive Room for Maneuver .................................................................. 37 Figure 6. Discursive Localization of Peripheries........................................................